SOCHI GAMES NEWS & PHOTOS

My trip to Russia felt like a trip down a flume. No matter how much I tried to keep up, I invariably ended up just hanging on, both physically and emotionally. It got to the point where I began to pre-position myself for the most important events two hours early just to ensure I didn’t completely miss them.

More than 8,000 people crowded a sold-out event Feb. 11 at the RusSki Gorki Jumping Center to watch the inaugural women's ski jumping event at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. SEE PHOTO GALLERY and LINKS TO NEWS STORIES.

The fact is Tuesday night’s debut of women ski jumpers on the Olympic stage provided plenty of drama on many fronts: Jerome and teammate Lindsey Van, the sport’s first world champion from 2009 who finished 15th Tuesday night, both realized their Olympic dream after so many years of fighting to make it a reality.

Sunday was practice day for dads wanting to see daughters participate in official ski jump training. The main event is Tuesday, and we wanted to be sure to understand the potential pitfalls that could delay the trip on the day of the big event.

By Peter JeromeI’ve been in Sochi 48 hours and to perfectly honest things haven’t been what I expected. Arriving Thursday afternoon, the connection through Moscow was about as easy as it gets: 45 minutes to deplane, retrieve bags, go through customs and immigration, check in domestically, and make my way to the Sochi gate. No long waits, no confusion, no hassles.

RUSSKI GORKI JUMPING CENTER — Legs were stretched and nerves were settled at the first official training day Saturday, Feb. 8 for women’s ski jumping at the RusSki Gorki Jumping Center. Twenty-eight women ski jumpers from 12 countries were allowed up to three training jumps on the normal hill or K95 (two jumpers from Germany and Finland elected not to jump).

SOCHI, Russia — If the cameras had been close enough on Opening Ceremonies Friday night, you might have seen the constant flash of teeth and radiating pure kid-like enjoyment on the faces of Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome, and Sarah Henrdickson.

Dimple technology is no stranger to golf but it's new to the sport of ski jumping. Development started 19.5 years ago. You see, my daughter Sarah was born with a deliciously charming dimple. Within seconds of her birth, there it was, an apparent joyous substitute for the usual scream that often accompanies the birth of a child.

I have done this dozens of times in the last 10 years. A last minute trip to the airport to see the team off. More for selfish reasons than necessity. A chance to have some unhurried quiet time with my daughter Jessica and the other girls who have become my extended family of sorts over the years.

Women's Ski Jumping USA

Women’s Ski Jumping USA is the primary support foundation for the VISA Women's Ski Jumping Team and aims to foster development level athletes throughout the U.S. WSJ-USA, a 501c3 foundation, also advocates for equality for women and girls in sports.